Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Watch Rare Concert Footage Of The Fun Boy Three From 1983

Lately I've been spending a lot of time listening to 80's new wave as part of my new gig as the bass player for Rude Boy George -- a band that performs ska and reggae versions of classic songs from the era. As such, my experiences as a new wave meets ska musician have made me love and appreciate the Fun Boy Three even more. So, imagine my excitement at discovering an entire live show recorded during a concert in Cologne, West Germany in May of 1983 (right before the band broke up) that was aired on television in Japan.

Like most, I was shattered when The Specials broke-up in the early 80's. When I heard the first Fun Boy Three album "Fame" when it was released in 1981, I have to confess I was confused by it. It was a complete departure from The Specials 2-Tone sound and it quickly established the band as pop stars and household names across the U.K. The 11-track album had a distinct African influence that was heavy on drums, percussion and Jamaican-styled vocal harmonies.

Over time "Fame" grew on me and when their second and final album "Waiting" was released in 1983 I was a huge fan. Produced by David Byrne of Talking Heads, the collection was an amazing mix of pop, reggae and avant-rock with just a hint of all round weirdness. I never saw FB3, so imagine my excitement at discovering an entire live show recorded during a concert in Cologne, West Germany in May of 1983 (right before the band broke up) that was aired on television in Japan.

Aside from their off kilter yet accessible look and sound, Fun Boy Three were notable for having an entirely female backing band that included keyboardist/arranger Nicky Holland, trombonist Annie Whitehead, cellist Caroline Lavelle, original girl punker and drummer June Miles-Kingston (of The Mo-Dettes), and vocalist Ingrid Schroeder. Watch an interview of Terry Hall and Lynval Golding discussing the benefits of having an all woman band:

The full concert which features tracks from both their albums (as well as a version of The Specials "Gangsters") is broken up into five videos below, but is worth the time to watch and listen to one of the most unique and overlooked bands of the 80's.

1. Faith And Hope And Charity
2. The Pressure Of Life 3:03
3. The Telephone Always Rings 6:34
4. Farmyard Connection
5. The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum 2:26
6. Things We Do 6:11
7. Well Fancy That
8. Summertime 3:27
9. Alibi 6:20
10. Our Lips Are Sealed
11. The Tunnel Of Love 3:48
12. We Are Having All The Fun 7:16
13. Gangsters
14. The More I See The Less I Believe (incomplete) 4:14

Wow... Amazing stuff. So much music, so many ideas. Us Two tone fans and musicians should feel a bit guilty... These guys were playing this stuff 30 years ago, well passed the basic two tone thing (that I still love). One Step beyond, really.

Who Is Marco On The Bass?

I heard ska and reggae music for the first time when I was 14 and it was love at first listen. I loved the sound, the look and the energy. It changed my life. A little bit later I picked up a bass and taught myself to play and in 1988 started the first ska/reggae band from New Jersey called Bigger Thomas. We are still together 29 years later. Maybe you've heard of us? No worries if you haven't! We've released 4 albums and toured the U.S and Canada a few times. As a musician I've had the good luck to meet and play with most of my musical heroes. That allows me to give readers the inside scoop on all the bands they love. I also tell the stories of the many bands who helped popularize ska in the U.S. and the U.K. I pay special attention to the birth of American ska and the stories of the bands and musicians who were ahead of their time and never received the recognition they deserved. I recently helped to form two new musical projects -- Rude Boy George, a band that performs ska, reggae and rocksteady versions of 80's new wave songs and Heavensbee, an original studio project that makes dub pop.

Rude Boy George - Love & Dancing -- New Wave Goes Ska!

I play bass in Rude Boy George -- a band the plays ska and reggae versions of 80's new wave classics. We've been releasing a song and video every other month during 2016 and 2017. The collection of songs is titled "Love and Dancing" and it is the second collection of 80's new wave tracks that Rude Boy George has recorded in a ska and reggae style. Check out a few of our videos including a new wave/reggae version of the Blondie classic "Atomic" and our versions of songs by Howard Jones, Bob Marley, Kim Wilde, Wang Chung, The Cure and Soft Cell!
"Love and Dancing" pays homage to the Human League who had a side project called The League Unlimited Orchestra and released a remix of their "Dare" album with that title in the early 80's. The album is available on Bandcamp.
Love and Dancing by Rude Boy George

RUDE BOY GEORGE LIVE!

Want to see Marco On The Bass perform with Rude Boy George (ska, reggae and rocksteady versions of 80's new wave songs)? Below is a list of upcoming shows:

Heavensbee - Dub Pop

I recently formed dub pop trio Heavensbee with my Rude Boy George bandmates Roger Apollon Jr. and Megg Howe. Seeking to create songs that explored the darker side of personal relationships, we holed up for six months over the late winter and early spring of 2015 in a tiny rehearsal space in New York City, where we worked to hone our sound. We approached each song like writing a scene from a movie or play, discussing the characters relationships and motivations. The result was "Soul Mates!"

Check out the video for our debut single "Bombs Away"

The songs we worked on take their inspiration from ska, dub reggae and Lover’s Rock (The Specials, Lee Perry), 80's new wave (Depeche Mode, Human League, Fun Boy Three) and indie rock (Lana Del Ray, the xx). The album is available on CD in the U.K. on Specialized Records or can be streamed/downloaded on Bandcamp.

Bigger Thomas Celebrating 29 Years in 2017!

Bigger Thomas is celebrating 29 years in 2017! Below is video from one of our earliest shows at the legendary City Gardens in Trenton, NJ in 1989 when we opened for Yellowman!

To celebrate our 25th anniversary back in 2013, we released "Ska In My Pocket: The Biggest & Bestest of Bigger Thomas" a digital only retrospective featuring twenty one of our favorite songs taken from the four albums and two demo tapes we released since forming the band in New Brunswick, NJ in 1988.

Its available for download on the Bandcamp link below. We hope you enjoy it!